The present invention refers to an absorbent article such as a diaper and an incontinence guard comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent body enclosed therebetween, said article having a front portion, a rear portion and a crotch portion therebetween, and further is provided with a pair of belt portions attached to the rear portion of the article and which are intended to be fastened together an sound the waist of the wearer and where said front portion is provided with attachment means intended to be attached to the belt portions, in such a way that the article will assume a pantlike shape, where the belt portions form a part of the waist portions of the pant.
Diapers and incontinence guards for incontinent adults usually have a garment portion holding an absorbent body in place against the user""s body and attachment means which hold the garment portion in place also when the user is moving. A common type of attachment means are adhesive tapes or hook and loop fasteners of the touch-and-close type which directly attach the front and rear portions of the absorbent article to each other. It is her known, through e.g. EP-A-0 287 388, EP-A-0 409 307, EP-A-0 605 012 and PR-A-2 596 558, to attach the front and rear portions of the article by means of a belt, at which the possibilities to adjust the fit are improved. The belt further provides a simplified change of diaper or incontinence guard. The ends of the belt portions can however be difficult to grasp when the article shall be applied to a wearer, especially if the wearer is lying down and the belt ends get caught under the wearer.
Through WO 86/04812 it is previously known to fold the attachment straps of a diaper, i.e. the straps that carry the attachment means that fasten up the front and rear portions of the diaper, in accordion-like fashion before they are applied to the diaper in order to simplify manufacture and packaging of the products. The folded attachment straps are kept together by a weak adhesive applied in narrow zones in order to be easily released and unfolded when the diaper is ready for use. The attachment straps do however not constitute a belt as defined in the present invention.
Through EP-A-0 463 276 it is previously known to keep extensible fastener tabs in pockets at each side edge at the rear portion of the diaper. The fastener tabs are elastic and can when used be extended and starched from the pockets. Neither in this case the fastener tabs constitute a belt which is to be attached around the waist of the user.
The object of the present invention is to accomplish a belt-provided absorbent article, such as a diaper or incontinence guard, in which the application of the product on the user is simplified by the fact that the belt portions during application are easily accessible even if the user is lying down. This has according to the invention been solved by the fact that the belt portions before use are folded in accordion-like fashion and each form an accordion-like folded package which is arranged in a pocket at each side edge of the rear portion of the absorbent article, and can be extended from said pocket and unfolded when the article is to be used, after which the belt portions may be fastened together around the waist of the wearer.
According to a preferred embodiment said pocket is formed between the liquid pervious topsheet and the liquid impervious backsheet of the rear portion.
Preferably the accordion folds of the belt portions are kept together by easily breakable seals.